Frailty in cancer survivors is linked to new chronic diseases

In an observational cohort study, researchers analysed records from 21,577 cancer survivors aged 39 to 70 in the UK Biobank. They assessed frailty at the start using two standard scoring tools, excluding people who already had the conditions being tracked, and followed hospital and death records for 39 chronic diseases. Higher baseline frailty was associated with an increased risk of developing 28 of the 39 conditions. The overall link was most pronounced for mental and neurological disorders. Within their respective categories, the frailty index showed the strongest associations with heart failure, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and bronchiectasis (a chronic lung disease). The link between frailty and risks of anxiety and depression was stronger among survivors younger than 60 years of age.